The Daewoo NUBIRA is a compact car built from 1997 to 2002. Most were assembled in South Korea — 100% of those on record. Engines offered: 4-cyl. Worth buying? It holds up well, with the usual caveat about model years at 4.0/5 — and the year you pick matters far more than the badge (best and worst years →).
What the NUBIRA is
The Daewoo NUBIRA is a compact car that Daewoo built from 1997 to 2002 — 6 model years. It has been offered with 4-cyl power. Its closest sibling in the Daewoo range: LANOS.
Where the NUBIRA is built
A badge says where the company is registered; the VIN says where the car was bolted together. We counted the first three characters — the manufacturer identifier — across 318 NUBIRAs on record.
| Assembled in | Share | VIN starts with | Years seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | KLA, KL2 | 1998-2002 |
Check your own: the first three characters of a Daewoo VIN decide which of these 1 lines your NUBIRA belongs to. What every character in a NUBIRA VIN means →
Got the full 17 characters? A free VIN check on a Daewoo NUBIRA adds what the decoder can't see: open recalls, theft and total-loss records, and the safety ratings for that exact build.
Daewoo NUBIRA tire size, oil type & owner specs
The fitment NUBIRA owners look up most — tires, wheels, oil and batteries. Exact wheel and tire sizes decode from your VIN or the driver's door-jamb placard; the universal items are listed below.
Exact tire, wheel, oil grade, capacity and battery group are added per trim and model year — decode your VIN above for the factory fitment. Universal items shown as-is.
What engines does the Daewoo NUBIRA have? Power & range
The Daewoo NUBIRA is offered with 1 powertrain — 2L 4-cyl. Here's the lineup by engine, transmission and drivetrain — 1 for the Daewoo NUBIRA, against one or two on most rivals.
| Engine | Displacement | Transmission | Drive | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-cyl | 2.0L · 4-cyl | Manual 5-spd | FWD | Regular |
Horsepower, torque and fuel-tank size decode from your VIN — exact figures vary by engine and trim.
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov (engines, drivetrain, range, charge time). Horsepower & torque from NHTSA vPIC on VIN decode.
The NUBIRA by the numbers
What the federal and market records say about the Daewoo NUBIRA. Each line opens the full breakdown by year.
| Topic | NUBIRA | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Recalls | 13 campaigns | NHTSA, all years |
| Owner complaints | 507 filed | What breaks and when |
| Reliability | 4.0 / 5 | Best and worst years |
Frequently asked questions
What kind of car is the Daewoo NUBIRA?
The NUBIRA is a compact car, built from 1997 to 2002. Engines offered: 4-cyl.
Where is the Daewoo NUBIRA made?
Across 318 cars in our records the split is: South Korea (100%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the plant's manufacturer and country — that is where these shares come from, not from a press release.
What is the Daewoo NUBIRA warranty?
New models carry 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 miles on the powertrain. Worth knowing: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, so most repairs land after the basic warranty ends.
Is the NUBIRA reliable?
It scores 4.0/5 in our data. The honest answer depends on the year far more than the model — see the best and worst years, and when this car starts to break.
How do I check a specific NUBIRA?
This page describes the model; it cannot tell you whether that car has an open recall or a branded title. Run its VIN against the records — free, and matched to the exact production run.
More in Daewoo
| Model | Years | Recalls | Best MPG | ForCar score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daewoo LANOS | 1997–2002 | 20 | 26 mpg | 4.0/5 |
| Daewoo LEGANZA | 1997–2007 | 14 | 21 mpg | 4.0/5 |